Underneath the Surface
by Blushing Rose
Summary: Pepper resists Tony's advances until she finally agrees to have dinner with him. Pepper finds herself conflicted in her roles as friend, co-worker, and  possibly  girlfriend. Can she pull herself together before she, or Tony, go crazy?
1. Compliance

It's Wednesday morning, and, per usual, Pepper is busy. She is making phone calls, setting up meetings. Jabbing her thin fingers into her burning, bloodshot eyes, Pepper regards Tony with tired indifference as the room gradually slides back into focus.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" she says in a sigh, burying her weary head in her hands.

Anthony Stark pauses for a heartbeat before turning around to gently snap the door shut.

"Pep…Pepper….Virginia…" Tony stutters, crossing the room in hasty steps.

Pepper lifts her head, slides her hands across the desk to grab her coffee. Cradling the mug in her hands, she waits.

"This probably isn't the best time…well it never is. Because you're always busy, I mean. Not saying that's my fault. Or maybe it is. Yes, definitely mine. But, Pepper, had the Ten Rings not received _my_ weapons, gift wrapped and lovingly sent from _Stark Industries_…" he raves.

Pepper realizes that he feels guilty for the mess she has to put up with ever since Tony put a stop to the betrayal of Obidiah, who continued to send Stark I. weapons to the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings. And, of course, the business and political repercussions that followed. That _was_ Tony's fault. It was his fault…for having a conscience.

Tony lets out a small cough. Pepper takes a sip. He clears his throat, and looks around awkwardly.

"What are you trying to tell me, Tony? We are all working very hard here. I don't feel bad about it, because it is my _job_. Therefore, there is nothing more to discuss." She presses the rim of her coffee mug to her lips. She doesn't tell him that she is proud of him.

"I am _trying _to tell you that I want you to have dinner with me," he blurts.

Pepper chokes on her coffee, presses a hand to her scorched throat. "Tony…" she croaks hoarsely. "What. _Why_? No."

"Well, you know," Tony continues as if he hadn't just heard her flat out refusal. "I might have figured that, by having dinner with _moi_, we could learn to balance our work and _private_ lives together." On the word 'private', Tony leans close to Pepper over her desk, allowing his dark hair to flop carelessly over his eyes.

"Tony…" Pepper sounds wistful.

"Yes, dear," Tony breathes, tilting his head slightly.

Then: "Mr. Stark." This time her voice has a hard edge to it.

Tony leans back hurriedly, taken aback.

"I barely have time to finish all this shit, let alone a relationship. That would be a mistake."

"Ah. The fact that you gave an excuse to forbid our hypothetical relationship means you have, in fact, given it thought," Tony smirks. "You could have simply said you were uninterested."

Pepper opens her mouth in horror.

"Also, slightly more intriguing, you mention that it would be a 'mistake'. Now what would you mean by _that_," he asks, invading her personal space once more.

Though Pepper starts to feel her ears burn and her hands shake, she manages to feign cool indifference. "What I mean, _Mr. Stark_, is that you and I run separate, _private_, lives. If we were to spend more time together, not necessarily _romantically_, then the distinction between what's professionally _acceptable_," at this she raises her eyebrows and looks pointedly at Tony, who is still hovering inches away," and _inappropriate_ would blur, costing both of us embarrassment and hurt in the end. Not to mention, potentially lose business opportunities amongst our new clients."

"So this is about _image_?" Tony looks bewildered and decidedly non-embarrassed. "But Pepper, I've been working hard. We _deserve_ this." He looks hurt.

"No, what _you_…" Pepper begins earnestly.

"I've been _strenuously_ researching the female psyche in order to try to understand you, Pepper," he says brightly. "Like I said, I, ahem, _we_, deserve this."

"Well, what are your findings, Mr. Stark?" She asks, resigned. She is amused, despite herself.

"Well, Pep, it seems you have a _thing_ for me," he says gravely, as if he were a doctor and she, Pepper, was being informed about the cause of her affliction.

"Huh. Well that explains a lot." She manages to sound nonchalant as she gets up and starts making her way around her desk.

"What?" He sounds curiously defensive.

"Why I can't seem to take my eyes off you," she explains, as though to a child. She continues her advances towards Tony.

"Mmmhmm, first chapter, paragraph five," he murmurs as she finally stops inches away from him.

"And why I can't seem to think straight when you are around," she whispers as he lowers his head.

"I believe that is the second paragraph," he distractedly mutters.

"And why I can't seem to_ keep my hands off you!_"

She lunges for his left ear and twists it hard. She then proceeds to march an unhappy, painfully hunched over Tony out the door.

"Owowowowow…" he howls as Pepper throws him out.

Pepper locks the door behind him and leans on it as she catches her breath.

Tony knocks on the door foolishly, resting his head on the door. "Pepper. Pepper? Open the door, Pepper."

She ignores him. She slowly walks back to her desk. Noticing she is flushed, she reaches for a cold bottle of water.

The phone rings.

"Well that wasn't very nice," the voice says conversationally as she picks up.

"Life isn't nice, Mr. Stark," Pepper quips.

"So, we never did get around to discussing the time, nor place."

"For what?" She is genuinely confused.

"Dinner." The statement ends with an unspoken 'duh'.

"What?" Pepper replies, astonished.

"What does your schedule read for this Friday night at seven?"

"Unfortunately, I'm booked solid all week. Especially on Friday night at seven," she smirks, hoping he will get the hint.

"Right. Is that Tony guy giving you trouble?"

"Too much," she murmurs. She feels herself starting to give in.

"Well tell him to go fuck himself, because I'm taking you out."

"Tony." She feels that this conversation had gone on long enough.

"Yeah, Potts?"

"I need you to free up the line. I mean…get off. Hang up," she says flatly.

"Got you flustered, have I?" She can feel him grinning through the phone.

"Really? Because I am starting to get angry…"

"Say yes."

"What?" she growls.

"Yes, Potts. Say it."

"Tony. Really? I gotta go." She can hear the whine in her voice.

"Not until you comply with my terms, Miss Potts," the man says sternly.

"Fine, okay," she says quickly, as if pulling off a band-aid.

"Okay what?" he teases.

"I'll go to dinner with you," she snaps, and slams the phone back into its cradle. Rubbing her temples, she decides to get back to work. Wiggling the mouse on her computer, she barely clicks on her login name when she feels her cell phone vibrate.

'its a date :)'.


	2. Friday

Pepper gets through the rest of the week smoothly and confidently. In other words, she avoids Tony whenever possible because, it was true, she _couldn't_ think straight when he was around. It was because of the affliction called 'Tony' which led to a self-medicated ritual of after work wine. It was disconcerting how much he had an effect on her. Slightly hung over from a particularly vigorous treatment the previous evening, she finds herself staring at him distractedly, chewing on her fountain pen absently as she contemplates his and her evening's plans.

He would pick her up at 7 in one of the many ridiculous beasts he kept cooling in his workshop, then roar off to whatever hot new restaurant. That was a fact. Unfortunately, that was all she knew for sure. She didn't want to admit it, but he made her nervous. Not just because of the chemistry that ran like live wires between them, but because she could never predict where his impulsiveness would lead them to next. It was because of this she decided to give herself a little medicine before the dinner. After all, if he was the disease and she would be in contact with him all evening, it was best to be precautious.

At 5 o'clock on Friday Pepper scampers quietly out of her office and not twenty minutes later is home. Home for Pepper is a quiet little neighborhood in the hills, in which cute villas reside in harmony with nature. Wild, enormous trees existing with petite rose bushes and the like are taken care of lovingly by the well-off residents that live there.

It is a delicious plum twilight and Pepper indulges in it from her shaded perch. She sighs deeply and stretches her arms high above her head, careful not to spill the half glass of a deep burgundy wine she has cupped between her delicate fingers. She gives a half-smile as she settles back down leisurely on the tree branch, propping her back and head on the spiny backrest of the trunk. She is taking a generous sip of the earthy alcohol when she hears the telltale roar of a well-oiled, powerful engine. She drops her arm, and it hangs over the branch, hidden within the leaves. She waits with a confident smirk.

It wasn't her intention to start the evening's events in such an…inebriated fashion. However, Pepper feels that in order to quell her nerves and loosen up, a glass of wine was in order. Or two. It was only after she felt the familiar buzz that she decided to get dressed and politely wait for Tony outside on the white veranda swing. However, after stepping outside, she spontaneously decided to climb the old Maple tree halfway between the street and the house and wait for him there. It seemed to be a way to gain power and control over her date, who tricked her into the date in the first place. It was a way to get him back. The logic didn't quite click right in her head but, hell, who gave a fuck? She climbed the old rope ladder left over by the previous owners, who had mischievous twins, with practiced ease. It was only by her inborn grace that she was able to manage to keep her wineglass from spilling and her black Armani pumps from slipping. Reaching her destination on a fairly horizontal branch, she sits down, her legs hanging over the branch and reaches over to pull up the ladder. She then is able to relax, and does so by twisting her body around the branch and leaning back on the trunk of the tree. She takes a gulp of her wine and waits calmly.

The engine cuts abruptly. There is a longish pause before she hears the click of the car door open and slam shut in the calm late summer air. Then: footsteps, even and confident. Pepper tilts her head and peers between the dark leaves and branches. She is immediately rewarded to see a well-toned backside receding towards her villa on the stone walkway. She leers conspicuously, emboldened while hidden within the greenery. She sits up and leans forward, straddling the branch. She doesn't bother to adjust her form-fitting cherry cocktail dress riding around her hips, or the killer black high heels hanging precariously off her slender feet. Instead, she sips the drink mechanically while glimpsing the head of dark unruly hair bobbing around on her front porch. As if she were watching a monkey at the zoo, Pepper looks on with mild interest at the movements of Tony Stark.

She watches interestedly as his full bodied form comes into focus when he sits down on her stoop. She is surprised when he carefully places a velvety red rose on the porch by his left hip. She wants to jump down, but she feels she is too invested in her position to move. So, she continues to watch as he runs a hand through his hair and checks his chrome watch, which internal workings boasted the most accurate time that technology could provide. She expects him to storm off, but instead he leans back, sighs, and watches as the stars come out. They are bright and magnificent when seen away from the light and pollution of the city. Pepper sighs and looks up too, smiling as she glimpses the red star Venus and the bright blue star Mars through the silhouetted matrix of Maple leaves. She leans back indulgently and feels her heart drop as her black shoe does the same: it lands with a soft thump on the grass ten feet below. Pepper freezes, her heart pounding as she desperately cranes her neck through the leaves to see if Tony notices.

"Shit," she hisses quietly to herself as Tony starts at the unexpected noise. He walks over towards the offending shoe and squats to pick it up. Assessing the bizarreness of the situation he straightens, holding the shoe loosely in his hand. Pepper gasps silently when he looks up.

"Pepper?"

"…". Damn it, she didn't think this far into her plan. She didn't expect him to actually find her. She groans internally. This it what spontaneity does to and unpracticed rookie in the craft, albeit a slightly wasted one. What gave her the audacity to wear her shoes, her _shoes_, up the _tree_? She glances blearily at the empty glass clutched in her left hand. Oh.

He squints his eyes and wrinkles his brow, peering into the gloom. "Pepper?" he again repeats.

From her position in the trees, she watches Tony as he tilts his head up. It is a bizarre effect. His face looks distorted and strangely contrast-y by the bright blue light filtering up through his navy blue dress shirt. She continues to say nothing until she feels her left heel slide tauntingly down her foot. Panicking, she jerks her foot up to stop it but it's too late.

Tony's head jerks his head up further when he hears a small voice exclaim, very distinctly, 'fuck'. He doesn't see the dark shoe coming in the duskish light. Not a second later he is thwacked in the forehead by the Armani's mate, as though it were screaming with revenge for the horror Tony put the other through by holding it. He stumbles back in surprise and trips over an especially thick tree root. He lands ungracefully on his ass, Pepper notes with mortification, and in the process flings the shoe in his hand halfway across the lawn in order to catch himself.

"Ouch…Pepper". He draws out her name somewhat hysterically and Pepper has to hold herself back from abandoning ship and hightailing it back inside the house.

Tony looks at her indistinct form through the leaves, scowling. "Why, and by what means, are you in that tree?"

Mutely, Pepper pushes the rope ladder down. He stares at it, eyebrows raised. He scrambles to his feet and hesitantly starts the ascent. The ladder swings alarmingly, but he manages to haul his bulky frame up and sit next to Pepper, who discreetly scoots over. They sit in awkward silence for about a minute bathed in the soft light from his arc reactor. Pepper decides to break the silence the same time Tony does.

"Sorry", she mumbles the same time he says, "Pepper, you naughty girl."

Pepper stares at him with an ashamed look on her face. Tony looks back, amused.

"What, did you think I'd reprimand you, or something?"

"Mr. Stark. We are in a tree. In my yard. You just got hit in the face with one of my fairly expensive Armani shoes…" Pepper drawls, attempting to define the absurdity of the situation. "You…" She doesn't get to finish.

"Do I smell alcohol on your breath?" Tony asks astonishingly.

"There is no reason for me to be drinking this early, _Mr. Stark_. I am fully able to restrain myself when it comes to…" she slurs slightly.

"Is that…is that…a _wineglass_?"

Pepper looks at it in horror as though seeing it for the first time and attempts to dispose of the evidence by throwing it into the adjoining house's bush. Before she is able to, Tony is able to lean over and grasp her wrist. He plucks the glass from her hand and sniffs the contents disapprovingly.

"Explain."

"I…" Pepper starts, but Tony doesn't allow her to finish.

"Forget it, Potts. Let's get you out of this tree."

He helps her to scoot over close to the rope ladder. He holds her hand firmly as she lowers herself onto the rungs above him. He stays one rung below her feet so he is able to hold her waist and prevent her from falling. Slowly and carefully, they are able to make it on the lawn safely. Pepper collects her shoes while Tony looks on, hands in his pockets, leaning against the tree with an unreadable expression on his face. Her shoes in hand, Pepper beckons to Tony as she mounts the veranda steps and opens the front door. Tony follows apprehensively, noting the slight tremble in Pepper's stride. He closes the door behind him and joins Pepper in the kitchen, where she is pouring herself and Tony healthy rations of scotch.

"What about dinner?" he asks.

"Right. Dinner. Let's do away with the prelude, Stark. We both know what you're here for," she says with an uncharacteristic coldness.

"Pepper…what are you talking about?" He can hear the confused desperation in his voice.

Mutely, she hands him his glass and, taking hers, shuffles to the couch. She glowers at him.

Tony looks at her blankly. With nothing to say, he takes a sip of the whiskey, eyeing her warily over the rim.

She sighs, and puts her glass down. "Tony…you can't help who you are. I just…want this to go well. I don't want to get hurt. I don't want you to leave me after we have sex. I just can't figure you out," she concludes sadly.

With a little alcohol into her, her thoughts fly unchecked out of her mouth, and her emotions are worn for all to see. He can clearly see now that underneath that cool and calm surface, she is insecure. He too, sighs and joins her on the couch.

"Pepper, I won't leave you," he says with certainty.

Pepper eyes him and takes a drink. "But how do you _know_?"

"Because I….I just know, okay?" he says frustratingly.

"Tony, I…" Pepper starts, lifting her free hand and stroking his cheek tenderly. Tony smiles softly and covers her hand with his own, leaning into the touch. He stills himself, closing his eyes. He can't see the constellation of emotions scattering across Pepper's face. Fear, anxiety, tenderness, confusion…hastily she breaks the connection and leaps from the couch.

"Why can't you just trust me, Pepper?" he yells.

"I really want to Tony, but I just…can't."

Tony is startled to see tears brimming in her green eyes.

"I want you more than I've ever wanted anything. It's just…we can't."

"We can't?" he whispers, stunned.

"_I_ can't," she clarifies.

He sets his drink down on the counter abruptly. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, Miss Potts," he says monotonously. Then he crosses the sitting room and, without looking at her, opens the front door. He pauses, staring blankly outside.

"Pepper, I didn't come here to just bed you. I just thought, you know, we could spend some time, get comfortable with each other when we're not in a professional setting. Because I want this, I want a relationship with you, the girl of my dreams. I never felt this way with anyone before and I really wanted this to work out. I'm sorry."

He glances at her forlorn expression over his shoulder before leaving and closing the door behind him. He hadn't expected to be so forthright with his emotions so soon. But, it was better this way. He feels his eyes tear up slightly as his heart breaks a little underneath the arc reactor. She just wasn't ready to get this serious, this soon. But it was just dinner, he thinks puzzlingly. Why did it have to end like this?

"Tony!" Pepper shouts.

Tony turns around dejectedly, and to his astonishment, sees Pepper running across the lawn towards him. Reaching him, she bends over a little, gasping.

"Tony…don't leave me," she says, looking up at him, grabbing his shoulders earnestly.

"No, Pepper, I won't leave you."

She threads her fingers behind his head and gently pulls his head down. Her lips meet his and they kiss softly for a full minute under the unnaturally bright stars before reluctantly breaking away. Catching his breath slightly, Tony rests his forehead on hers.

"Is that all, Miss Potts?" he asks gently, hands on her shoulders.

"Yes, Mr. Stark, that is all," she says tearfully with a smile, and takes his hand and pulls him back inside.


	3. Dinner

**A/N: Thanks to all that have reviewed! It makes my day when I read reviews and it definitely motivates me to write more! Also, I own nothing (is that what you're supposed to write for the disclaimer?) Anyway, enjoy chapter 3!**

"Yeah…let me have a Triple Whopper, extra…well everything. Yes ma'am. Everything. Especially the cheese. American, duh. Yum. And uh…a salad. No, cross that, lemme have a Whopper, extra pickles. Fries? Uh. Yeah. A bag. I know that's not a valid size, just fill up a paper bag with 'em. Yeah, sure whatever, fill up enough fry pouches to stuff the bag."

"Pull up to the second window, your order will be processed shortly," a dry voice says, bored.

"Um…no."

"Excuse me?" comes the muffled reply.

"You assumed I was finished. I'm not finished," Tony growls, offended.

"Of course, sir. Can I get you anything else?"

"Two Hershey's Sundae Pies. Two Cokes. An order of chicken fries. No, make that three. An order of onion rings. And yeah, I want that salad now. The one with grilled chicken. That will be all, miss."

"Your total comes to 20,017 calories, pull up to the second window, thank you," the voice says haughtily.

Tony does a double take. "Thank yo…excuse me?"

"Sir, your order comes to twenty dollars and seventeen cents. Please pull up to the second window," the voice says monotonously.

Tony rubs his eyes concernedly, and puts the car into gear. He pulls up to the window. Car humming impatiently, he forks over the plastic as she hands him his Cokes. Taking it, she looks at him for the first time. And promptly drops the card. Tony stares at the fallen card on the drive-thru asphalt.

"Mr. Stark. How…um…"

"Honored, pleased, delighted, et cetera you are to be graced with my presence?" Tony questions helpfully with a quick smile. "Thanks, sweetheart, but will you grab my food? I'm kind of in a hurry here."

"But your card…"

Tony rolls his eyes exasperatedly and pulls out a second card, shoving it into the window and deliberately dropping it onto the counter inside. She picks it up, hand shaking slightly, and runs it through. Composing herself, she hands him back the card with a smile.

"You caught me off guard, Mr. Stark," she says with a flirtatious wink.

"Food. Now." He curtly replies, irritated.

She hands him four bags. "Thank you, come again," she says suggestively. But her words are drowned out by the squeal of tires and the roar of the engine. Pouting, she glances down through the drive-thru window. A smile lights up her face.

"Honey, I'm home," Tony mumbles through a fistful of fries, struggling with the door. The Cokes are shoved into both armpits. A bag of food is gripped between his forearms and his sides, and each hand pinches the top of the remaining two. Frustrated, he knocks his head onto the door three times in an effort to get Pepper's attention. He shifts his weight to his right foot, and is about to ring the doorbell with his left, when the door opens. He freezes.

Pepper stares at him. Freshly showered and changed into a more comfortable skirt and top, she tosses her auburn head to the side and scrutinizes him. Tony is relieved to find that she seems to have sobered up. Finally, she speaks. "Karate Kid much, Mr. Stark?"

"Wha…oh." Tony drops his leg and adjusts the bags, embarrassed. "May I...?"

Pepper moves aside and lets him in.

He is stunned. The kitchen table has been set with her finest china, complete with a simple white tablecloth and lit candelabra. Cloth napkins. Actual silverware. The single red rose he had left on the porch has been placed in a classy crystal vase in the center of the table.

"What…is this?" He nods his head forward, then looks back at her with wide eyes.

Pepper smirks and begins unloading the food from his hands onto the table. Relieved of his burden, Tony adjusts his lapels with uncharacteristic uncertainty and unconsciously runs a hand through his hair.

"Since we lost our reservation at what I'm sure was a fancy restaurant," she glances sidelong at him, "I thought we could dine in style right here."

Pepper pours the Cokes into the crystal goblets, and begins unwrapping the burgers, placing the Triple Whopper on his plate, and the regular Whopper on hers. Opening the second bag, she stares at the quantity of fries, then at him. Tony shrugs. Recovering, she hastily digs out a bread basket and dumps the fries into it. Catching on, Tony gets to work. He finds a gravy boat and squeezes out the catsup packets into it. Pepper and he exchange an odd look as they work but look away hastily, not wanting to offend the other with laughter. Finally, the table is set. Pepper delicately takes her seat. Tony does the same, tucking the napkin into his collar with flourish. Pepper takes out her knife and fork, and begins to saw her burger into a bite-sized piece, and eats it politely. Tony observes her curiously, and does the same. After a couple minutes of uncharacteristic silence, Pepper speaks up.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, Mr. Stark. Your culinary skills are amazing."

"Ah. I am but as honored to be invited into the presence of such a noble woman and her home. This humble meal which I have prepared is but a small token of the gratitude I feel for such hospitality," he reciprocates, not missing a beat.

"The honor and pleasure is all mine, gentle sir. Please pass the bread, if you will, and the bread dip."

Tony wipes the corners of his mouth delicately before passing her the basket of fries and the gravy boat of catsup. He smiles indulgently and sips his crystal goblet of Coke.

Pepper beams at him and begins dishing out some fries onto her plate, and pours the red dip to the side before beginning to eat them slowly, chewing deliberately as she finishes each fry in two bites. She closes her eyes and leans back contentedly, still chewing.

"Tony", she says, with eyes still closed.

Tony realizes his mouth is hanging open, unattractively showing off the half chewed burger he had bit into half a minute ago. Swallowing hastily, he chokes out, "Yes, Pepper?"

She opens her eyes and leans forward, a fry in hand.

Tony does the same, a tense seriousness growing between them.

"Why…."

"Yes?" he breathes, apprehensively.

She looks embarrassed. "Why did you order so much food?" She gestures with the fry at the banquet spread out before them.

Tony lets out the breath he had been holding with a loud _woosh_. "I, uh…" He is stunned to realize he cannot answer the question when she is looking at him like that. When she is focusing all her attention on what he is about to say next. Not at her Blackberry or her laptop. On him. Just him. He thinks fleetingly that he wants her to look at him like that all the time.

Peppers eyebrows begin to climb as she delicately inserts the fry into her mouth through the growing silence.

"I was hungry," he says sheepishly. "Salad?" he offers.

"No." Pepper gets up, tosses her napkin onto her empty plate, and walks towards him. She places a warm hand on his cheek. "Come on."

Tony asks no questions. He hurriedly wipes his mouth, and throws the napkin on his emptied plate before jumping up. She gently grips his hand and begins to lead him into the kitchen. She takes the brown bag containing the pies, throws some forks in with them, and takes his hand again. There is pause as they scramble to put on their shoes. Tony is surprised to see Pepper shove on some worn out sneakers. She grabs her keys and leads him out the front door, blowing the candles out on the way. She locks the door behind them and walks down the steps. He joins her and holds her hand. He leans in to kiss her but she catches his face in her hands, laughing. "There will be time for that later, Tony."

He has no time for pouting as she promptly starts dragging him down the walkway and into the street. It's dark, but the moon gives just enough light for the twosome to see. They begin walking down the black asphalt until they arrive at the end of the neighborhood and the beginning of wilderness. She smiles at him reassuringly and leads him onto a hidden dirt trail.

"And that is how Tony Stark was murdered," Tony comments dryly. Pepper laughs and hits him playfully on the arm.

"These forks are not just for the pies, Tony," she deadpans.

After around five minutes, they arrive at a 'Private Property Do Not Enter' sign posted next to a wire fence.

"Don't worry, Tony, it's mine," she laughs at his hesitance. He lifts up the wire for her, and ducks under after her.

After about ten minutes of walking through the wooded desert, they stop at a wooden structure, complete with a chimney and windows. It's a cabin. She opens the wooden door with a brass key and fiddles with something inside. Tony hears a match being struck and suddenly there is light. She carefully sticks the match into a lantern situated on the single circular table.

"Welcome to my clubhouse," she says proudly.

Tony looks around the small but charming structure. He takes in the hammock, the oak cabinets, the woven rug, the small fireplace. It's so…unlike the Pepper he knows. He realizes that the Pepper at work is not completely the same as the one at home. He rests his gaze on her, who shrugs.

"My dad built it when I was a kid. We moved around a lot, but we stayed in L.A. the longest. Six years, actually. I made a…generous offer to live in this neighborhood, specifically in the villa I live in now. My villa was once my dad's. We used to live there. I guess I left my heart in L.A.," she laughed ironically.

"This is incredible."

"Sit." She points at the hammock. She rustles through one of the cabinets and brings out a photo album. She joins him on the hammock. Tony put his arm around her, and she rests her head on his side. She opens the album to reveal a gawky young redhead wearing overalls and carrying a stick. Tony chuckles lightly and kisses her head. Pepper smiles and turns the page. Pepper in a tree. Pepper in the clubhouse. Pepper in her villa. Pepper with a taller boy with the same tint of hair, the same eyes….

"Who's that?"

"My big brother. Three years older, actually. He lived with my mom at the time, came out by himself on a plane to see us. My mom would have nothing to do with us," she says bitterly.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

Pepper closes the book softly after a few more minutes. Nothing new was revealed about Pepper's childhood.

"Let's light a fire, I'm freezing."

Tony leaves to go outside to grab some logs stacked up against the side of the clubhouse while Pepper grabs some kindling from a basket. Setting it up, she allows Tony to light the fire as she pokes at it hopefully. After a while, the fire starts. Pepper takes the pies from the bag, and the forks. Pepper shows unabashed pleasure in the Hershey's dessert. With a wiry grin, Tony offers for her to eat his too.

It's 11:30 when Tony and Pepper finish their pies and are ready to relax after mindless chatter about their childhood and gossip about some coworkers. Tony, a romantic at heart, suggests they share the hammock.

"Pepper…can I sleep with you?"

"_What?_" Pepper chokes on her pie.

"No, nothing like that, I just want to sleep. With you. Sleep."

Pepper comprehends by his open expression. She cannot detect any lewdness in his tone. She agrees. Tony shoves his empty pie carton away and stretches. He removes his shirt with an odd expression, draping it over his chair. He removes his shoes with just as much care, untying them almost deliberately. Pepper feels her heart start to beat faster, but she manages nonchalance and she turns his back to him, fetching blankets and beer from a shelf. She lays out a blanket on the bottom of the hammock while he opens up the bottles. She nods to him and he climbs into the hammock, his torso propped up. Pepper grabs the beer Tony offers and joins him, kicking off her shoes. He puts his arm around her.

"Tony, I have something I have to tell you."

"Mmhmmm?" He snuggles closer to her and sips his beer.

Pepper takes a gulp of beer and a deep breath. "When I am alone, not at work, even at work sometimes, I…I…think about you. Us. And, well, this may come as a surprise to you, Tony, but I'm not totally immune to you."

"Is that so?" Tony smirks. "I knew you'd come around."

"Come around?" She sits up, shoving his arm off. _Come around_?"

Tony has an 'oh shit' expression on his face. "What I meant was, Pepper, that I am madly in love with you and I hoped that by focusing all -most- of my attention on you, that you'd be able to see my feelings for what they are," he blurts unthinkingly with desperation.

They both are stunned by what was just said.

"Did you just say…you're in love with me?" Pepper asks quietly after a heartbeat, setting her beer down and holding his face in her hands. She looks at him. He looks back, mouth pursed, eyes wide open.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I am. In love. With _you_, Miss Virginia Potts," he says in a low voice.

"When…when did this happen, Tony?" she asks, aghast. She feels frozen, hot, electrocuted; strange. She lets go of his face, and replaces her hands on his shoulders.

He sits up. "All these years you've been my assistant, Pepper, how couldn't I? You were, are, one of the only people who have stuck by my side, trusted me…chastised me. Through good times and bad. You convinced me to become a better person. You did, no one else. I…fell for you, Pepper. And I realized I might be in love with you when I came back from Afghanistan and I saw your face for the first time since, well, _that_."

Tony holds her hand and stares at it as if his life depended on it. He refuses to meet her eyes after his impromptu spiel. After a quiet moment, he musters up the courage to look up. Her face is shocked, inscrutable. He clears his throat and looks down again.

"If you don't feel the same, I completely understand, Pepper. Just, I…might have to not see you again. It will be too hard for me if you say no." He shifts his gaze and looks intensely into the fire. "I might have to hire an assistant to you, but I can't stand to be in contact with, uh, near you, if you reject me. Flesh wounds I can handle but that….that will break me."

_Where is this coming from, Stark? Get yourself together, man! This is why you never put your heart on the line, this is why…_

"Tony?"

He looks at her, eyes suspiciously moist.

"Yeah?" he says in a gravelly voice.

"Do you want to know when I started to fall in love with you?"

He nods, mute. He feels strange. Like being doused with icy water and electrocuted. He feels like he is starting to burn hotly; strange. Not unpleasant. Just…

"When you came back from Afghanistan. I never was more worried or missed someone as much as I missed you. It was the hardest three months in my life when I thought I'd never see you again. And when you came back, I was overwhelmed. And then you changed. You stopped messing around with other women, with your life…you grew up, Tony. You became Iron Man. You found self-actualization. I thought I was in love with the boy Tony but I find that the man Tony is even more irresistible. You fluster me. You surprise me. You change me back to that same gawky pre-teen you saw in the photo album a while ago. You were right, Tony. I have a _thing for you_, but it's so much more than that. I love _you_, Mister Anthony Stark, and nothing, _nothing_, that you do will ever change that. And damn, I know how much weight those words have but they're true, Tony. It's true."

"Yeah?" Tony asked in a strangled voice.

"Yeah." Pepper confirmed, leaning over stroke his head, smiling beatifically.

Tony, a look of stunned disbelief on his face, turns over on his side. The sudden change in weight and balance is too much for the hammock. Tony realizes why it is unadvisable for more than one person to bed on a hammock as he feels his equilibrium slipping…..BAM!

Tony and Pepper land in a heap, legs splayed, arms twisted. The blanket lain out flutters to the side. Tony groans in pain for the second time that night, while Pepper, cushioned from the blow by Tony, begins to giggle. It first starts as a shocked reaction, but gradually it builds as she feels Tony start to laugh with her, genuine and deep. The laughter dies down as they slowly take in the compromising position they find themselves in. Tony's silly smile became one of coyness, lust, and…passion. Pepper, recognizing the look, rolls off him quickly, blushing deeply.

"Not tonight, Tony."

"Too soon?"

"Too soon." She nods quickly.

"Right. Well, uhm… I, uh, can wait. Because, you know, I love you, right?" He looks up at her, self-consciously playing with the RT implant.

Pepper smiles and takes his hand from his chest with both of hers. She holds his hand to her chest, over her heart. "I love you, too, Tony."

He shifts awkwardly, but is able to bring his left hand to her chin, tilting it up to meet his lips. He kisses her softly, his eyes fluttering closed, enjoying the sensation of kissing someone who he actually loves. She drops his hand and threads her right hand into his dark hair, holding herself up with the other on his shoulder. After a while she breaks the kiss, leading him back to the hammock.

"Let's try this again."

She lays out the blanket a second time. He lies on the hammock first and then she carefully joins him, handing him a second blanket to cover themselves. She rests her head and hand resting on his well-built chest, a leg tangled within his own. With care, he spreads out the blanket over their bodies before resting his chin on her soft hair, the hollow of his neck caressing her head.

"Goodnight, Pepper."

"Goodnight, Tony."

The fire burns out slowly, and Tony watches it die. His eyelids feel heavy. He can't remember the last time he had felt so content in his life, or if he had ever felt so full. The Triple Whopper might have something to do with that but it extended somewhere else, too. His heart. He sighs and feels his consciousness slipping. He smiles, something he rarely does genuinely. Wrapping his arms around Pepper, he finally falls asleep.


End file.
